A division bench, comprising acting chief justice A K Sikri and justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, said the department must regulate and register the agencies to implement an earlier explicit order of the court. The bench was taking stock of the progress on this front while hearing a PIL by NGO Save the Childhood Foundation.

The government, on its part, claimed that it was difficult to trace the domestic servants as their employers kept changing. But the bench pointed out that the placement agency is the one that keeps details of each domestic servant employed by it and they must be asked to furnish this information to the authorities.

The PIL claimed that trafficking of men, women and children was taking place on a large scale. In the guise of providing employment, these people were kept in bondage and their wages were not paid for years together. The PIL further alleged these people were subject to rampant harassment and abuse, lack of basic facilities, among others.

HC said the department must take steps to solicit information on all persons who are on the rolls of the placement agencies and register them. The bench also asked the state government to file a report on rescue of child workers , giving details including the total number of children rescued by it so far.